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St. Elijah Antiochian Orhtodox Christian Church | 15000 North May Avenue | OKC, OK 73134 | (405) 755-7804

A COOPERATIVE EFFORT OF FAMILIES, CLERGY AND PARISH MAINTAINING A SOUND FOUNDATION OF ORTHODOX FAITH

ExclusiveSEPTEMBER 2014

THE ST. ELIJAH

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PARISH COUNCILNEWS

ST ELIJAHNEWS

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ST. ELIJAHMDO AND PRE-K

ST. ELIJAHWEBSITE

ST. ELIJAHFACEBOOK

ANCIENT FAITH RADIO

ANTIOCHIAN.ORG FASTS /FEASTS

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CHURCHCALENDAR

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Letter from Parish Council Chairman:

September 2014

Dear St. Elijah Parishioners,

I pray all is well. School has already started and football season is underway, this summer has flown by. We are gearing up for a busy fall at St. Elijah. We have several things to kick of the month of September. First, Sunday School starts on September 7th, as well as, the Sunday School Kick off Bowling Party (see bulletin for details). Also on this day, the Antiochian Woman will be hosting a fundraising luncheon and will be selling Marco’s Onion Burgers. Later in the Month Bishop Basil will be visiting more details below. So as you can see we have a lot going on in September.

General Maintenance/Repairs: Great news the roof completion is almost done and they are just finishing up a few minor details. The good news is that during the last rain we did not have any leaks. The few issues that needed to be corrected so we could get our warranty have been corrected and we should be getting the certification and warranties issued in the next two weeks. Repairs to the paint in the MDO/Sunday school area are underway and should take a few weeks.

Major Church Repairs: As a review, we are dealing with a very serious issue with the supply and return air ducts that are under the church. The sheet metal tubing has rusted and the ground water underneath has filled these ducts. We fixed the sump pumps, which have helped empty the water out (water gets in the ducts when it rains and/or the ground water rises). When the duct work has water in it and when the AC runs it brings moisture into the church and causes the humidity to rise. This has many ramifications such as causing the Icons to sag; warping the wood, etc…We are waiting on the recommendations from the engi-neer CEC. Omar Khoury has been in constant contact with them and we expect to have something back by this Friday. We are still working on figuring out the choir area and what would be the best fix for the water seeping in every time it rains. We eventually are going to have to dig out that area, adjust the grade, and reseal the foundation to get this to stop. We have turned these major issues over to Kory Warr and the construction committee and are currently working to get this all corrected with the help of Deacon Ezra.

Decorating Committee: Jan Klopp and Tina Harroz brought back information in regards to carpet options for the church hall. They are looking over several bids and carpet types. We asked them to hold off on fi-nalizing anything until we have a better idea of what the major repairs are going to cost us. As a side note, they brought a lot of great options for us and I appreciate their work thus far.

Planned Giving Committee: This committee will begin to put items in the bulletin in an effort to educate and motivate our parishioners. Please watch the bulletin over the next several months to see what they are doing.

Audit Committee: Father John, the Executive committee and the auditors from Cole and Reed had a meet-ing last week to discuss the finalization of the balance sheet audit. Based on the findings everything went very smoothly and we are expecting good news once we get the final report. The auditors will be present-ing their findings to a joint meeting of the Parish Council and Finance Committee on 9-11-14. Once we get their opinion then I will make sure to get the information out to you as soon as possible.

Long Term Planning: From last month: Over the last year I have heard or been asked what we are going

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to be doing long term at St. Elijah with building new offices, building a school, opening a retirement area, and many more suggestions. To that end I am going to start with convening a meeting of our past Presi-dents to begin the discussion of what does the future look for St. Elijah. I am calling for a meeting for all past Presidents of St. Elijah to have our initial meeting of the group on September 16th at 6:00 pm. Please watch the bulletin for more details.

Bake Sale Update: The committee with the approval of the board has decided to change the date of the Bake Sale to October 24th and 25th. Every weekend selected had its challenges but the committee felt this weekend was the best. You will be seeing work days posted in the bulletin and we need everyone to help with preparation. Whether you can come for an 1 hour, 3 hours, or the whole day please make every effort to be there as much as possible. We need everyone to pitch in and make this Bake Sale a great suc-cess.

St. James in Stillwater: The Parish Council has been approached by Father Mark and the church in Stillwa-ter to look at potentially providing a loan or co-signing a bank loan to help them with construction of their new sanctuary. The board along with Father John is looking over this and we hope to make a decision on this over the next month. We are looking over the financials for the St. James’s and see if it is even feasible at this point. I will keep you posted in regards to this as we get more information.

Bishop Basil’s Visit: He will be visiting St. Elijah on September 20th and 21st. There will be vespers on Saturday night starting at 5:00 pm. After this the Bishop will visit with everyone for an hour with light appe-tizers being provided. Sunday we will have a Hierarchal Liturgy followed by our annual luncheon. Please watch the bulletin for more details.

Mark your calendars for these important dates: September 7th- First Day of Sunday School. More details to followSeptember 7th- Sunday School Kick Off Bowling Party. See Bulletin for more details. September 7th-Antiochian Women luncheon fundraiser after Church. Watch bulletin for details. September 20th- Vespers and Visit with Bishop Basil at 5:00 pmSeptember 20th – Hierarchal Liturgy and Luncheon after church.October 24th and 25th- St. Elijah Bake Sale. Please watch the bulletin or see our web-site for other important dates. .Please feel free to contact me or any council member if you have any questions or concerns.

Yours in Christ,

Craig AbrahamParish Council Chairman

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UPCOMING EVENTS

ANNOUNCEMENTS

Family Night + Teen Chats - Wednesdays, September 3, 10, 17, 24 @ 7pmSunday School - Starts September 7 (sign up now online)

MEETINGS

St. Elijah Charities - Thursday, September 4 @ 9:30amMDO Board - Tuesday, September 9 @ 6:30 pmParish Council - Tuesday, September 16 @ 7:00pm

Visit w/Bishop Basil- Saturday, September 20 (following Vespers)St. Elijah Anniversary Luncheon - Sunday, September 21Antiochian Women Fall Gathering - Tuesday, September 30 @ 6:30pm

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FAMILY NIGHT CLASSES WEDNESDAY’S @ 7 pm

!“Do you understand your faith?”

The Ethiopian Eunuch was reading the Bible when Philip asked him if he understood what he was reading. The man replied, “How can I unless someone guides me?”

Join us on Wednesday nights as together we deepen our understanding of the faith we already know. !!

Inquirer’s Class: Evangelion | Deacon Ezra

Arabic Coffee House | Fr. John

Month of September: Sacraments | Fr. Jeremy

Orthodox Bible Study | Fr. Basil

Teen Chats | Erin Ghata

Children’s Classes: Pre-K-K, 1-3, 4-6 | Anna Harris and Jeannine Crouch

Nursery | Joy, Julie, Lorie and Carmen

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2014 OCMC Mission Team, We Need YOU !

The Orthodox Christian Mission Center (OCMC) is seeking 10 volunteers to help fill teams that will serve in Albania,

Tanzania, and Uganda later this year. !

The Albania team departing on September 17th will lead spiritual retreats for clergy wives, women lay leaders, and women's groups. !The Tanzania team departing on October 27th will offer theological training for the clergy of the Metropolis of Mwanza. !The Uganda team, also departing on October 27th, will offer Christian stewardship workshops to clergy and laity in various communities.

!Are you able to serve on one of these teams? If so, you are

urgently needed! Without 10 additional volunteers, these teams may not go.

!Please visit http://www.ocmc.org/about/open_teams.aspx, or

contact OCMC's Teams Department by e-mail at teams@ocmc.org or by phone at 1-877-463-6784 for more

information and to apply.

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2014 OCMC Mission Team, We Need YOU !

The Orthodox Christian Mission Center (OCMC) is seeking 10 volunteers to help fill teams that will serve in Albania,

Tanzania, and Uganda later this year. !

The Albania team departing on September 17th will lead spiritual retreats for clergy wives, women lay leaders, and women's groups. !The Tanzania team departing on October 27th will offer theological training for the clergy of the Metropolis of Mwanza. !The Uganda team, also departing on October 27th, will offer Christian stewardship workshops to clergy and laity in various communities.

!Are you able to serve on one of these teams? If so, you are

urgently needed! Without 10 additional volunteers, these teams may not go.

!Please visit http://www.ocmc.org/about/open_teams.aspx, or

contact OCMC's Teams Department by e-mail at teams@ocmc.org or by phone at 1-877-463-6784 for more

information and to apply.

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Name !Address !

City State Zip

COOKBOOK - Culinary Companion II !The Ladies Aid of St. Elijah Orthodox Christian Church 15000 North May Avenue Oklahoma City, OK 73134 !Please send ________ copies of Culinary Companion II at $20.00 each, plus $4.00 postage, handling and insurance per copy. !Enclosed is my check or money order for ________________. !Make checks payable to : Cookbook, St. Elijah Ladies Aid !Ship to: (please print)

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St. Elijah Sunday School Begins : 9/7/14

CLICK HERE TO FILL OUT THE FORM ONLINE AND SUBMIT

CLICK HERE TO VIEW AND PRINT A PDF VERSION OF THE FORM.

( If choosing this option, please turn in the form to the church office. )

FILL OUT FORM ONLINE

VIEW / PRINTPDF VERSION

R E G I S T E R N O W

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The Sacraments Taught  by  Fr  Jeremy  

Family  Night,  Wednesdays,  7pm  4  Nights  Only:  September  3,  10,  17,  24  !!

Baptism,  Chrismation,  Eucharist,  Confession,  Unction,  Marriage,  Ordination,  Tonsure…    !What  do  the  sacraments  mean,  and  how  can  we  make  them  a  meaningful  part  of  our  Christian  lives?    !Come  Aind  out!    

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SUNDAY BOOKSTORE USHERS ALTAR SERVERS EPISTLE READER

ELDERS

9/7

Janet Jaime Dr. Haisam Al Khouri Andrew Farha Matthew Ghata Sam Homsey Omar Khoury Eric Massad F. S. Simon Barry Toma

Joseph Eid Isaac Wilson

Alexander Weddington Konstantin Ganchev

Roman Baker Conner Swearingen

Jack Naifeh Samuel Shadid

Amir Sweis

Malek Massad Dr. Bashar Alasad Dr. Garo Basmadjian

Kyle Eastridge David A. Farris

Phil Haddad Dr. Timothy Kaiser

9/14

Tari Tibbits Sam Assaleh Patrick Farha Craig Gross

Johnny Jones III Paul Shadid, Jr. Dmitry Smirnov Chris Waters

John Wilson III

Cole Harroz Jacob Crouch

Preston Silvernail Alec Karam

David Tamirat Adam Sweis

Farris Shawareb Sami Swaiss

Nathan Shanbour

Dr. Dini Homsey Boulos Ayyat Dr. Joseph Byrnes

Imad EidBob Floyd

Michael Haggai Sam Kamas

9/21

Lawrence Clemens

George Ablah Arto Baghdayan

Dru Farris Walid Haddad

Spyridon Karousis Monte Shawareb Brian Swearingen

Joe Harroz, Jr.

Zach Crouch Joseph Eid

Isaac Wilson Cole Harroz

Jacob Crouch Christian Swearingen

Andrew Assaleh Joseph Pendergraft

Emil Karam David Baskerville

Andrew Sweis

Trey Kouri Rodney Badeen Dr. Raymond Cohlmia

Greg Farha Michael Foskin

Raymond Heckard Bob Maness Jeff Massad

Dr. Ed Harroz, Jr.

9/28

Norma Jabara Dr. George Alhaj Derek Cohlmia Aarron Fraysur David Williams

Ivo Lupov Jay Silvernail Faysal Sweis

Kory Warr

Christian Swearingen Andrew Assaleh

Mark Crouch Zach Homsey Anthony Ene

Robel Tesfaselassie Elias Assaleh

Gavin McLamb Lukasz Baker

Jan Farha Klopp Allyn Baskerville Glenn Dean Steve Farha

Dean Haddad Max Holdcraft Rob Sandlin

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Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday31 1 2 3 4 5 6

Labor Day - Office Closed

7a Matins 8:30a Exercise

6:15p Vespers 7p Teen Chats 7p Family Night

9:30a St. Elijah Charities 10:30a Orthodox Study Fellowship

8:30a Exercise 5p Vespers

7 8 9 10 11 12 13SUNDAY SCHOOL BEGINS

8:50a Matins 10:00a Divine Liturgy Antiochian Women's Onion Burger Luncheon 2:30-4:30p SS Kick-Off Bowling Party (Heritage Lanes)

8:30a Exercise 5p Vespers

14 15 16 17 18 19 20ELEVATION OF THE CROSS BP BASIL'S VISIT

5p Vespers -followed by a chat with the Bishop - everyone's invited!

21 22 23 24 25 26 27BP BASIL'S VISIT

28 29 30 1 2 3 4

5p Vespers

8:50a Matins 10:00a Divine Liturgy Coffee Hour - Cultural Ministries

Y E S - W I C H I T A (thru Sunday)

8:30a Exercise

6:15p Vespers 7p Teen Chats 7p Family Night

10:30a Orthodox Study Fellowship

7a Matins 8:30a Exercise 7p Parish Council

8:50a Matins 10:00a Divine Liturgy Coffee Hour - MDO

8:30a Exercise

9a Divine Liturgy for St. Thekla and St. Silouan the Athonite 6:15p Vespers 7p Teen Chats 7p Family Night

7a Matins 8:30a Exercise 10:30a Bible Study with Fr. Basil

6:15p Vespers 7p Teen Chats

7a Matins 8:30a Exercise 5:30p Great Vespers for the Protection of the Theotokos 6:30p Antiochian Women Fall Gathering

10:30a Orthodox Study Fellowship

8:50a Matins 10:00a Divine Liturgy Anniversary Luncheon

5p Vespers

September 2014

9a Divine Liturgy for the Nativity of the Theotokos 7p Choir Rehearsal

7a Matins 8:30a Exercise 10:30a Bible Study with Fr. Basil 6:30p MDO Board

10:30a Orthodox Study Fellowship

6:15p Vespers 7p Teen Chats 7p Family Night

9:30a Senior Trip to Braum's 10:30a Orthodox Study Fellowship

8:30a Exercise7p Choir Rehearsal